Thanksgiving service for the NHS...

You may have spotted in wider press coverage that there was a thanksgiving event at St Paul’s Cathedral on 5th July, for the NHS. Although numbers were limited at the event, we are pleased to be able to share with you here some of the reflections from and about the service. Among those who were able to attend was the General Secretary of Free Churches Group, Revd Paul Rochester (pictured below); our very own Revd Dr Mark Newitt took some time to reflect on the vital role of chaplaincy work in the care sector during the pandemic - there is a recording of this which you can watch through the link below.

“At St Paul’s for the NHS’ 73rd birthday - an event which offers us all a chance to say a Big Thank You. The NHS, and the country as a whole, has been through a year like no other, because of the coronavirus pandemic. However, we can proud of the NHS, which at the same time as caring for people with COVID, rolled out the biggest vaccination programme in health service history. We are grateful for the dedication and professionalism of NHS staff.”

— says Revd Paul Rochester

Prior to the service, Mark joined with Rev Sarah Crane, as they talked to Dave Piper (TWR) about the chaplaincy work in the care sector during the pandemic – and how being aware of our own mortality can help turn our thoughts to God. You can watch a recording of this conversation below:

TWR (Trans World Radio) is a multimedia organisation, assisting the global church to fulfil the command of Jesus Christ to make disciples of all people. Our UK channel seeks to equip Christians to be effective disciples of Jesus in our complex twenty-first century world.

(cover photo by Revd Sara Iles, FCG Media Support Officer, taken on 5th July, a rainbow pedestrian crossing near Gloucester Cathedral)

Health Care Chaplains study conference - coming up on 6-7th October

2021 College of Health Care Chaplains (CHCC) Annual Study Conference
October 6th 13:00-16:00 and October 7th 9:30-12:30

Coming up in the autumn - save the date!

The CHCC conference this year will have the theme “What does good look like?” - taking stock of what we have learnt in recent years and looking to the future together.

More details will follow, but it will be online and booking will be via Eventbrite and will be open from September.

(cover photo courtesy of Nathan Lemon at Unsplash)

EXPLORING HEALTHCARE CHAPLAINCY, Autumn 2021 Course

The EXPLORING HEALTHCARE CHAPLAINCY, Autumn 2021 course flyer and handbook, which is run by Network for Pastoral, Spiritual and Religious Care in Health.

The Network for Pastoral, Spiritual and Religious Care in Health (NPSRCH) aims to promote and support high quality, person-centred, pastoral, spiritual, and religious care in acute and community healthcare settings. We value, welcome, and seek to encourage diversity in Healthcare Chaplaincy. The NPSRCH currently includes representatives of Healthcare Chaplaincy organisations from twelve different religion and belief traditions. See network-health.org.uk

The Autumn 2021 course will consist of four half-day sessions of talks and discussion using the Zoom platform.

Photo by Andrew Neel on Unsplash

This course is designed for people who are wondering whether healthcare chaplaincy volunteering is for them. It is for those who are considering volunteering in a hospital or community healthcare setting and can also be valuable for those who are already volunteering. The course explores what it means to be part of a Healthcare Chaplaincy team in the 21st Century, where pastoral, spiritual, and religious care is offered to patients and staff in a multi-faith-and-belief context.

The course is for people from different religions and beliefs and offers an opportunity for the sharing of ideas and opinions across those religions and beliefs. The tutors are experienced healthcare chaplains from different religion and belief traditions.

The Autumn 2021 cohort is subsidised by NHS England and there is no fee on this occasion.

For further information and application details please contact training@network-health.org.uk . Those who complete the course will receive a Completion Certificate. APPLICATIONS MUST BE SUBMITTED BY SEPTEMBER 1ST 2021.

Please see Flyer & Course Handbook.

Do not be frightened, but in your hearts revere Christ as Lord....

Scripture tells us, when facing fear and the end of our days, “Do not be frightened. But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.” (1 Peter 3:15)

“Death and the current death rate have been headline news for much of the past twelve months” says Revd Dr Mark Newitt, Secretary for Healthcare Chaplaincy, Free Churches…. Mark goes on to say that, “despite death being headline news in recent times, “normally, death tends to be hidden away and taking about death is a taboo subject that people shy away from and feel anxious about.”

Mark offers us some further thoughts on this and we are featuring this news article as part of Dying Matters Awareness Week 2021 - Being in a good place to die. You can access the support materials produced by Dying Matters all year round…

Mark reflects that, “As Christians, death is not something that we should be afraid of, or afraid of talking about (1 Peter 3:15)”.

Mark goes on to reassuringly say that, “Professor Katherine Sleeman speaking at an event at the Royal Albert Hall said, ‘We prepare about the arrival of a new baby, we plan for it, we think about what we are going to buy and what we are going to call the new baby. It is part of our daily life, our conversation. Why do we not prepare for our death in the same way? I would like everyone to have a good death but we can’t achieve that unless we as a society stop whispering and start talking about it.’

You can see Professor Sleeman’s talk HERE: How to Have a Good Death: Katherine Sleeman at Imagining the Future of Medicine

“Dying Matters Awareness Week is a fantastic opportunity to open up the conversation around death, dying and bereavement and I encourage you to look at the resources available on the Dying Matters website.”

— says Revd Dr Mark Newit, Free Churches Group

(cover photo courtesy of David Monje at Unsplash and photo above from Dying Matters resource pack)

Supporting those who are bereaved...

Karen Murphy, who is President of the Association of Hospice and Palliative Care Chaplains and serves as the Chaplain and Spiritual Lead at Weston Hospicecare, commends the awareness raising work of the Hospice UK led movement, Dying Matters.

“Dying Matters Week is an opportunity to be thankful for spiritual care teams around the country who have been part of wider teams in palliative care, supporting staff as well as patients and their families.”

— says Karen Murphy, Chaplain and Spiritual Lead, Weston Hospicecare

You can learn more about how to support those who are bereaved with this leaflet, produced by Dying Matters:

SUPPORTING BEREAVEMENT

Karen goes on to say that there have been many resources published during this past year to reflect on the experience but she highly commends to us all the latest book by Tom Gordon. ‘Whispers of Wisdom’ is just published by Wild Goose Press and is an excellent resources for anyone working in spiritual and bereavement care.

(cover photo courtesy of Claire Kelly at Unsplash and photo above from the Dying Matters resource pack)